Monday Briefing: Looking forward to 2012; and how I spent my Christmas vacation

I’m working today, not because I work for a Scrooge, but because all Times/Review staff members were fortunate enough to spend the entire Christmas to New Year’s Day break away from headquarters. (Some employees were gracious enough to sacrifice off-time to maintain the websites.)

I was especially fortunate in getting to spend the time with my family in Disney World, and I’m really thankful for it. The Disney parks are truly a sight to see; almost more so for adults who can appreciate the intricacies of it all. There aren’t just rides but a huge selection of plays and musical performances, all for the price of admission. And Disney overlooks no detail. It even “snowed” at night on the streets of Disney Hollywood Studios and the Magic Kingdom. (The snow was really tiny bubbles.)

The parks certainly aren’t cheap, but you do get the feeling you aren’t being ripped off. It seems a large amount of the money taken in is being put back into the parks. So if you’re a traveler or just looking to plan a vacation for kids and adults, I would highly suggest skipping the Caribbean paradise just this one time, and looking into Disney.

Like our new, semi-regular appearing feature online, I would definitely say Disney Word is “a place you should try.” Not too bold a statement, I realize.

• This Thursday is our annual People of the Year issue so be sure to pick up the paper that morning to learn about about the people who stood out last year in making Riverhead such a great place to live and work. As usual, we were flooded with nominees. And while some very deserving people weren’t chosen, having so many choices was a good problem for the News-Review staff. We’ll also post our People of the Year stories later Thursday, online.

• As the new year progresses, we’ll continue to bring more improvements both online and in the newspaper. I and the rest of the staff appreciate the continual feedback we receive from our readers through DISQUS comments on RiverheadNewsReview.com, on Facebook or through emails and letters to me — both private and for print. None of your feedback is ever overlooked, and is continually used to shape our product to your needs.